The rough start of President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act has dominated headlines nationwide, but a new poll showed that nearly three-fourths of Hawaii residents support the law as is or with some changes.
The Hawaii Poll conducted by Ward Research Inc. for the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and Hawaii News Now found 60 percent of residents agreed with the statement, "There are some good things in the law, but some changes are needed." Twelve percent said the law is working well and should be kept in place as is.
On the flip side, 24 percent of those surveyed believe the law has so much wrong with it that it needs to be repealed altogether, and 5 percent didn’t know or refused to answer.
"At least they’re coming up with a program to help everyone and the people who don’t have (insurance)," said Central Oahu resident Keith Yasui, 48.
Lawmakers are considering turning the state’s troubled Hawaii Health Connector, the nonprofit assigned to enroll residents in medical coverage, into a state agency after it fumbled the start of the online health insurance marketplace, the cornerstone of Obama’s signature health care law.
The Affordable Care Act requires most Americans obtain health insurance or pay tax penalties this year.
The Connector, designed to match low-income residents with subsidized coverage, failed to launch Oct. 1 as scheduled due to software problems that continue to plague the system. As of Feb. 8 the Connector had enrolled 3,879 of 17,030 applicants.
Cassie McNeal, a 41-year-old Kaimuki resident, said the law allowed her niece, a care home operator, to get affordable coverage at about $400 a month. "She was qualified to get medical coverage at a reasonable price."
The Connector, currently funded with $204.3 million in federal grants that expire at year’s end, is figuring out how it will become self-sufficient by 2015.
Some Hawaii residents worry the low enrollment will make it difficult for the Connector to keep premiums down.
"Economically, just looking at the numbers, there’s not enough people paying into the system that’s going to make it affordable for everybody," said Pearl City resident Philip Mangonon, 34.
